Missing Kid

The case of missing boy William Yao has been widely spread for the whole of last week. This morning, the DNA test had confirmed the worst, the body they found is indeed William. In fact, the parents had already identified him last Friday. This is the worst punishment for the parents.

The news reminded me of my own horrifying experience that happened many years ago. Bau was about 3 years old then. I was in Sunway Pyramid with a friend tagging her along.

3 years old Bau.

We were walking towards the direction of the transparent lift which Bau enjoyed very much and she knew the place quite well.

I remembered the exact moment. I turned my head to my friend as I  was talking to her, and on the next second when I turned my head back,  I found out that Bau was not in front of me. Immediately I took a quick look around and saw no sign of her. My heart skipped a few beats and then immediately raced to 100 beats within a matter of less than a second.

"Bau lei?" i asked my friend stupidly as a reflective reaction. On the following second, my heart beat raced further up and at the same time I could feel the blood rushed up to my face and my brain. I started to dash around frantically and calling out her name fiercely.

My mind was racing with all sorts of the unthinkables and I was really cursing myself. I told myself if anything were to happen to her, I would have to kill myself. I even thought about the way to kill myself. I told myself  I probably would have to jump from a tall building. As I ran all over the place, I asked some passers by if they had seen my baby with choking voice and tears started to flow down my face.

"What if some one grab her and walk out of the mall?" The horror of this possibility sent me running to the information counter. As I was reaching the counter and was starting to shout to the staff, I saw the familar face sitting on a stool starring up to me with her innocent eyes! Oh, how sweet my baby's chubby face is!

I still remember the innocent look till today. Also remember the little Light Blue collared dress she wore and she way she sat with her chubby hands on her lap. She was too young to understand why mummy was hugging her and was crying terribly. Mummy swallowed the blames from the staff and felt very shameful. The staff, a middle age man, told me that a mother should never let go of her child's hand even for one second. I could only nod my head. Apparently Bau had struggled out of my grib and ran to the lift which was only a few  steps away. A kind hearted woman had brought her to the information counter!

I still shudder when I think back even though it was a long time ago. I was so lucky that nothing had happened to her. I also recall a book I read about a missing boy. I could almost hear the mother's anguish cries of "Ben...!!!!." from the book. How horrifying will it be for a parents to have loss their kid because of their own fault. William Yao's parents has to pay for their thoughtlessness. However, the price is really too high to pay! Nevertheless, I sympathize them for their lost. They will have to live with regrets for the rest of their life.

The Bad Place - Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz的惊悚恐怖大作之一。

Frank总是莫名其妙的醒来，完全不记得自己是谁,   也不明白为什么自己会有一些很模糊的记忆，可是却无法想起到底自己做过的任何事情,  也想不起之前到过的地方，只是下意识的觉得那是不好的地方，做的也是不对的事。有一次, 他竟发现口袋里有价值连城的红宝石，可是却怎么也想不起自己是如何得到哪些宝石,  还有大量的钞票。

在恐慌之下, 他求助于做保安的Bobby和Julie。Bobby和Julie觉得很荒谬,  难以相信。在追踪下，他们发现有一个疯子在威胁着Frank,  而这个疯子是无敌的，根本无法打倒他。他们的生命也面临危险。

事情越变越离奇,  Frank继续不断的失去踪影，身体也出现了问题，越来越弱，身上还会出现莫明的痕迹。 有一次，Bobby竟发现Frank皮肤的一个痕迹居然和他身上的大衣的布料一样。尤于Frank无法交待他的去向，Bobby只好24小时陪着他。一天，Frank突然在Bobby面前消失，几十分钟后又出现，Bobby在震惊下，不得不相信Frank有能力在空中转移，可是他却无法控制这种力量，而是被哪疯子超控他去做一些坏事。

在一次空中转移时,  Frank终于遇到那疯子, 也慢慢想起一些事，疯子竟是自己的兄弟，也想起妈妈和妹妹，他们都是异类。妈妈是雌雄同体的变种人，变态到自己和自己受孕，生下他们! 只有Frank是正常的。Frank无法接受事实，也不能原谅自己所做过的一切，最后选择与兄弟同归于尽,  就在他将转移的时刻，他拉着兄弟一齐，结果，两个人混合起来不断的转移,  最后永远在世上消失。

没想到故事在最后的真相是那么的恶心和变态,  这是对有超能力的Frank的解释，看了之后，心里觉得很不舒服。尽管如此，故事大部份都在讲述Frank的遭遇，看的很紧张,  悬念很强。

Note: 这是Dean Kootz较早期的作品，是我比较不喜欢的一本。

生命沒有如果

最近我在好几个人的博文中，看到了这本书，大家都说是好书，所以就在第一时间里到大众书局去买，很显然的这已不是新书，可是我才刚刚看完，觉得自己真是很落伍。

作者李永业医生是马来西亚人。16岁到英国念书，之后在哪落地生根，21年后带着家人回流祖国，在医院服务，也是教授。

单看照片, 还真有点像香港影星麦长青。没想到在笑容可掬的脸下，居然有那么感性的思维和细腻的心。

书里写到他回流祖国的复杂心情，也曾经质疑自己的决定。辛苦建立的事业，要放下，谈何容易，而回到祖国却是个未知数。

又写到自己对孩子的亏欠，因长时间在医院当更，没有时间与孩子好好相处。孩子对他说在英国时他时常作饭给孩子吃，回到祖国后连厨房在哪都不知，他很内疚。

再写到自己在年轻时的无知和任性，一味的从洋。但随着年龄的增加，外国的月亮是否真的特别圆是他问了自己一遍又一遍的问题。

而他写得最多的是对已过世父亲的理亏。他说他在外国实现了自己的理想，但却典当了亲情。面对即将死亡的父亲，身为医生的自己却无能为力，很伤感。

相信许多像他一样离乡背井的人都有同感，可是又有几个像他那样愿意表达出来？他就这样赤裸裸的在书和报张里向大家表白自己的感受，还有种种的遗憾，真是一个性情中人。

在外国已21年的他，还能以如此流利的华文书写，真是难能可贵！他的第二本书，《医院，我的乌托邦》，在去年也已出版，相信也一样值得一看，我得赶紧去买来看。

Mamma Mia!!

看了Les Miserables已超过3个星期，但我们依旧沉醉在那些优扬的歌曲里！女儿闲来无事时会 "On My Own....pretending he's beside me.....",  要不就 "I dreamed a dream.......",  做功课时也开着电脑录下的歌，一边做一边听，晚上还要在钢琴上弾上几首才罢休。母女两在车里更是大唱特唱，其乐无穷！这让我想起几年前的 Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia电影在2008年上映，非常享受音乐的我们当然没错过。女儿当年还小, 可是也懂得音乐所能带来的乐趣，也许从小就被我影响。

Mamma Mia是很轻松的音乐喜剧，歌曲都是当年Abba的热门歌, 是我们这个年代耳熟能详的, 看着时差点就要在戏院里跳起舞来, 当然没有发生，可是口就忍不住小小声唱！一首Dancing Queen听得我热血沸腾！还有Chiquitita, Super Trouper, Money Money Money, Voulez-Vous 太多了！那些是陪着我成长的歌，带着我找回逝去的岁月，让我想起多年前在校园的我们，我们曾经这么年轻过！

故事讲述Sophie自小与母亲相依为命，在结婚前，希望得知谁是生父。在母亲的日记里，他发现3个可能是生父的人选，写信邀请他们来参加自己的婚礼, 继儿发生一连串的事故, 最后以喜剧收场。

已经50多岁的Meryl Streep当然不再年轻，其他两位也是如此，可是跳起舞来一点也不逊色,  精力充沛,  姿势优雅美妙! 男的是Pierce Brosnan带头, Mr Bond竟然唱起歌来，样子有点滑稽,  最后那幕更是让我笑翻了天！

初次看见Amanda Seyfried, 觉得他长得真美，身材一级棒, 唱起歌来也不错！

看了戏后，还买了DVD在家里唱个够，母女两像现在这样唱个不亦乐乎, 享受美好时光！





更早一些，还有 Phantom of the Opera,  那时女儿更小,  可是也一样拉起嗓音，“In sleep he sang to me, in dream he came, the voice which calls to me ..... the phantom of the opera is here.....inside my mind"!

很佩服作曲家,  词填人, 音乐制作人, 这些幕后功臣，让我们可以享受这些美妙的歌曲，也不忘歌剧歌手们的天赋,  唱出了动听的歌。

The Hobbit - An unexpected Journey

女儿盼了又盼、重复的讲了又讲的戏，终于上映了！身为娘的我当然就一马当先，舍命陪太后看戏去了！哈！

沾了女儿青春活力的气息，感染了他的喜悦,  我也好像回到很久以前的自己，陶醉在幻想的空间里！

年轻版的 Bilbo Baggins。

故事发生在LOTR的60年之前，讲的是 Frodo 的 uncle,  就是把那该死的魔戒交给他的uncle - Bilbo Baggins,  在年轻时的威水史！原来，uncle也曾经经历过惊险万分，刺激连连的旅程!

一切都是那灰袍老妖Gandalf的馊主意,  Bilbo在情不干、心不愿的情况下，被逼与其他一共13个侏儒,  身负使 (死)命,  企图夺回被 Smaug - 那无耻的龙所占领的 Erebor (侏儒的家园),  因而 An unexpected Journey 就开始了！一路上，当然是困难重重，过五关，斩六将， 怪兽恶魔无处不在,  紧张刺激,  经历了生死交战。

故事也详细的交代了Bilbo如何从那畸形的Gollum手中得到那该死的魔戒,  这部分的字谜游戏还真精彩，Gollum的表情被Andy Serkis发挥的淋漓尽致, 好看！

与LOTR一样，The Hobbit将分成3部，也就是说要到明年才可看到第二部 - The Desolation of Smaug,  2014才可看到 There and Back Again。

Cute and Hot 的侏儒, Kili。

与LOTR不一样的是, The Hobit被拍得比LOTR轻松，有搞笑镜头，LOTR则比较严肃。灰袍老妖Gandalf的戏份很多，还是他带头嘛！其他比较特出的角色是侏儒Kili and Fili,  女儿又迷上了Cute and Hot 的侏儒,  把英俊潇洒的Elf, Legolas 抛到天不吐去了！！少女情怀总是诗。。。


看着他集中精神的在看,  完全投入在故事中，再加上3D所带来的视觉效果，真正享受。过后，听着他眉飞色舞的谈着剧情，很觉欣慰,  在成长的岁月中，能有这么多精彩的事物陪伴着，真是一种喜悦！

Gollum cum Smeagol.

    

Rivendell, 仙境。

面对 Goblin King ......

Smaug, the dragon.

Tell Me Why

I stumbled upon this beautiful and meaningful song a few years ago. Was and am still very impressed with this powerful expressive voice, the voice of a boy who was only 10 years old!

穿透力十足！震撼！

Bali - Unforgettable Uluwatu

On the last day of our Bali trip few years back, our guide drove us to Pura Luhur Uluwatu. The temple sat at the southernmost cliff of Bali, one of the many temples built to protect the Balinese from the evil. The sun was merciless, it was so hot and bright! But the view was stunning! As we walked along the cliff, we found ourselves facing the Bali sea. From the cliff, the color of the sea is turquoise, the shade of which is unforgettable! To me, it is as beautiful as the Grean Ocean Road in Australia!   

One of the best spots for photograph.

Tourists are being warned of the mischevious monkeys here. We witnessed how a monkey snatched a tourist's sunglasses while another monkey grabbed the hat! 

The temple itself is small in size but the it was dated back 11th century. As required, the tourists are asked to wear sarongs as a gesture of respect to the holy temple.

Love the shades of the color.

The path leading to the temple is right on the cliff. The view here is absolutely stunning.  It is my favorite among all the Bali attractions. 

 Shades of a beautiful sea, Blue, Turquoirse.

White foamy water formed from the rushing waves. Looks like white cotton and also white cream.

Magnificent......

Peaceful 

It's cliff clinging!

After this, we were then driven to the much acclaimed Jimbaran for our dinner by the beach with a view of beaitiful sunset before we ended our Bali trip.

So romantic!

Sunset at Jimbaran.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Peregrine Falcon, 中文名为游隼，是世界飛的最快的鸟，而Miss Peregrine也確是一只鸟，这就是所谓的 Peculiar - 奇特，不仅他本身奇特，他在Welsh岛上的
孤儿院所収养的孩子也都奇特。

有的能悬浮在空气中，有的力大无窮，有的能隐形，有的手指能点燃火，各种超自然的力量。

作者以一连串古旧的黑白照片为背景，编造出这个充满着奇幻的故事。

十六岁的Jacob从小就听祖父讲一些他年轻时的奇幻经历,  渐渐成长后Jacob知道这些都不可能是真实的事。但是祖父在临终时却要他到那个岛，而且Jacob在現场也看到可怕的面孔，再加上Jacob发现祖父收藏着的照片和一封信，促使他终于说服父亲，一起到那个岛上，奇幻的旅程就此展开。

Jacob在那个岛上，找到了祖父讲的孤儿院，但那却是个废墟。

有一天Jacob在废墟处徘徊，意外的进入了另一个空间，去到祖父的孤儿院，遇到了祖父照片里的人，惊觉祖父说的都是真的。。。。

买这本书时，满心期待的是一个紧张刺激的惊悚故事，沒想到竟然是这么样的少年幻想故事，很是失望。以下是书的简介：-

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

最后的 “they may still be alive.”，使到我的好奇心去到頂点，结果是失望到极点,  尤其是结尾，Jacob决定留在孤儿院，说明故事是真实的，这也因本书原属儿童或靑少年读物，但个人觉得黑白的旧照片看起來还蛮恐怖的，女儿就不敢看。


我倒情愿一切只是Jacob的幻觉，他本就在看心理医生。

这本书曾是畅销书，也广獲好评，将被拍成电影，也将有续集，被评为创作性极佳的作品！

Merry Christmas马六甲!

每年的圣诞节，对不是基督徒的我们都有重大的意义，因为许多年前的这一天，我正在医院里准备迎接我们这一生中最重要的人的到来。虽然他姗姗来迟，足足迟了一天，在圣诞节过后的2个小时，才在医生的催促下心不甘情不愿的来到了人世，让家里的祖父、外婆、阿姨、表姐，医院里的姑姑及干妈，产房里的爸爸妈妈，望穿秋水，等了又等。

从此以后，每一年的圣诞节，就不再一样了！家里摆放了小小圣诞树，点亮了彩灯，还有礼物，圣诞节一过就是咱们家小姐生日啦,  这一天也是Boxing Day！

今年，我在最后一刻决定到马六甲过。整两天，24小时的陪伴，走走看看吃吃喝喝，在午夜的时分还来个大惊喜！花了点心思，搞搞气氛。

首先，到网友推荐的Makko Nyonya Restaurant吃午餐，觉得不怎么样。

点了Pong Teh Chicken, Nyonya Chili Fish 和虾米豆腐，加上甜品Ice Kacang。

三叔公。

吃饱后，就直接到Jonker Street逛逛，累了就到"三叔公"喝美味的咖啡冰。


过后就到预定的酒店。特地选了很有Nyonya特色的Puri Hotel，真的是很不错的精品酒店，古色古香的装潢，但房间却是现代化的。

Hotel lobby.

傍晚，开车到Portuguese Settlement 吃到地的葡萄牙海鲜，觉得还不错。

葡萄牙村的圣诞气氛很浓，家家户户都布置的美奂美伦，煞是好看！

在午夜时分，好友也是女儿的干妈带着蛋糕出现在酒店的露天咖啡厅，给女儿一个惊喜，当然还有很好的礼物。

第二天一早，在酒店的庭院用早餐，还蛮喜欢！之后，到紅屋一带逛，来过无数次的地方，已毫无新鮮感，但对着满街遊客那种热闹的画面，感觉很好。直从马六甲和槟城成功申请成为世界遗产后，外囯遊客的确增加了。


午餐要吃闻名遐迩的鸡飯团，却见列日下的长龙，民以食为天嘛！排了队吃了不怎么样的飯团后，走到Jonker88吃Ice Kacang，还好没见昨天的长龙。这就不错吃了，味道水准保持。

Jonker88 Ice Kacang.

继续在附近溜达到退房时刻，最后的任务就是吃 （又吃 ）人称蛋糕界里的名牌的mille cake千层蛋糕啦！到了Nadeje Patisserie Cafe，居然又见到人龙，不是吧！吃蛋糕都要排队！不过还真好吃，味道很够浓郁。

回想起来，这就这么多年了，周岁一直到現在，每一年都尽量让这一天过得开心、快乐，务必让女儿能拥有充滿美丽回忆的纪忆。